Often analogized to a bulldozer, Shaq was the most difficult guard of my career, Pollard said. Let's take a closer look at what happened in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. After a back-and-forth Game 5 at Arco Arena that saw multiple lead changes and superb performances by both ONeal (28 points on 14 of 18 shooting) and Webber (29 points and 13 rebounds), the Lakers led 91-90 with 11 seconds to go. WebThe Three most infamous Rigged games in NBA History David Stern has Rigged hundreds of games in his 24 years in office. Of course not. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. To reinvigorate the fans the NBA knew that Cleveland had to have success on NBA draft lottery night, and it all started when the Cavs heard they had gotten the fourth pick with their own selection. We just wanted to get back to our Cow Palace even. Then came a statement he repeated like a mantra throughout his interview. I think the referees just did a downright terrible job. In Game 2 of the 2008 NBA finals, the Lakers shot 10 free throws. Here in Los Angeles tonight, it's Game Four of the NBA Finals. League-preferred being, of course, the result that generates the most revenue. If you look at the shot, it was straight form. So far, the series had been relatively normal. The Chicago Bulls were going through a season full of acclamation. The Lakers led at halftime but Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter despite severely spraining his ankle in that same quarter. My personal favorite? Web2002 Western Conference Finals might refer to: The Western Conference Finals of the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs The Western Conference Finals of the 2002 NBA Playoffs This The league had dealt with something like this before, they had seen the effect it had and they went forward with the suspension. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Later, Donaghys lawyers filed a court document which alleged that NBA officials had rigged Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Indiana was the better team (the Knicks were the No. All the lottery teams coveted Patrick Ewing of Georgetown. Then the Clippers pick became the first pick in the draft against all odds, and the NBA had again made basketball relevant in the state of Ohio. The other notable non-call which I rated an "all refs" situation was on the inbounds at 0:12 where Kobe knocked Bibby to the floor with an elbow to the face, but Bibby was also grabbing Kobe at the time it happened so both were really guilty of infractions to some extent. So, from that standpoint, yes. Both Webber and Kings center (and former Laker) Vlade Divac nearly fouled out while the oftentimes foul-prone ONeal, the most physically dominant force in the game, was called for just two fouls while racking up 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. The Kings, their fans and many in the news media were outraged by the officiating that night. At halftime, Chris Webber told us to just count on playing against eight out there, Pollard said, referring to the five Lakers on the court and the three referees. Years of consecutive playoff matches bred fierce competition between the players, and palpable hatred between their fans. It happens fairly often, but in Game 7 of the finals? Chris Webber was playing just as well as Shaq. Hundreds of reporters are here for the finals, and many of them descended on two players at yesterday's media sessions. WebHowever, when Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers gained home court advantage for the NBA Finals because the Lakers posted a better regular season record at 56-26 than the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons at 5428. LeBron has to shoulder just as much of the blame, as his ridiculous acting caused this in the first place. The 2006 Finals have often times been called out as an example that the NBA fixes games and series to get the results that it knows will generate the most revenue. Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate, weighed in, urging Stern to conduct a review. So, thats a fact. All rights reserved. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Three fouls on Kings big man Lawrence Funderburke in just six minutes. The NBA has birthed more conspiracy theories than Roswell. If you can't hold a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7, you don't deserve to win the title. Then they used their draft pick Andrew Wiggins as ammunition to acquire all star Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, and the Cavs were now a championship contender. We'll see how this plays out over the rest of the 2012 playoffs, but if LeBron continues to get calls like this, then the conspiracy theorists will get plenty of evidence of the NBA rigging games. Well, I'll let the numbers do the talking. The accusations are contained in a four-page letter, sent to U.S. District Judge Carol Amon, as part of Donaghy's plea for a lighter sentence. New OrleansGets The No.1 Pick In 2012, 4. Because of how many foul shots the Lakers attempted, many fans, especially Kings supporters, thought the NBA had fixed the game. There is no contact whatsoever. Webbers clean block on Bryant negated by a ghost foul on Kings guard Doug Christie. Many die-hard NBA fans swear by the theory that this series was Miami, although technically not a bigger market, is a more nationally relevant city than Dallas. Viewed together, and paired with the context of the series and the amount of money the NBA stood to gain from a Game 7, a different picture emerges. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Only, they really aren't. His flopping was so blatantly obvious that multiple NBA players actually tweeted about it. Even with the new lottery in place teams still tanked. Many die-hard NBA fans swear by the theory that this series was A decade later, questionable officiating still haunts what might be the greatest playoff series ever played, writes Matt Gallagher. Kings 'robbed' in 2002 Western Conference finals, Tim Donaghy Join our linker program. But the Donaghy saga came back with a vengeance this week. Another Western Conference Finals between the two archrivals felt destined when they ended up on opposite ends of the bracket come playoff time, the Kings as the 2 seed and Pacific Division champions and the Lakers as the 5 seed and reigning NBA champions. 25 free throws for the Kings over the course of the game two less than the Lakers shot in the last quarter alone. Late in the series clinching Game 6 Wade drove to the basket elbowing Dirk Nowitzki in the face on his way to the basket. Fortunately, four teams in the East delivered. I'd love for someone to point out where the foul is. The refs know what players are supposed to get calls, and I think they know who is expected to get the benefit of the doubt at the end of games. NBA fans felt that it could be the year that Webber and the Kings won the championship. But what happened in 2007 was completely inexcusable. But the referees/league didnt allow the better team to win.. ONeal helped the Magic greatly improve just barely missing out on the playoffs in the 1992-93 NBA season. The dynamic pair, one of the NBAs greatest and most volatile ever, would both win titles again, but not with one another. The main argument is games being fixed, and this can be done primarily through bad officiating that is easily detected by fans. A decade later, it remains the first piece of evidence for anyone building a case that the NBA is rigged. Mr. SCOT POLLARD (Basketball Player, Formerly with the Sacramento Kings): Yeah, I felt that way during the game and after the game. In 2002, the Sacramento Kings appeared to have the LA Lakers' number. And honestly? He missed. ", We all think that probably referees should be under a separate entity than the NBA entirely, Jackson said, But I don't think that's going to happen. Whistles can swing games, series and ultimately championships. Data Provided By We still knew theyd try to come back.. Do you have a blog? That's right, they didn't get involved in the fights; they just stepped off of the bench. Well You could convince me of one. The New Orleans Hornets had just lost a superstar in Chris Paul, and the league knew that it had interfered in that transaction and had to make it up to the Hornets in some way or fashion. Game 1. This gets to the heart of the matter to me: despite the NBA's official claim that 95% of calls are correct over a season, there are just too many plays that are far from being clear cut wrong/right and many that fall into a gray area where even watching a play many times in slow motion you can make a case for different verdicts. Beech did some very intelligent guesswork as to how many points the referees' dubious calls may have unfairly cost the Kings six points. The buzzer sounded and the Lakers won, 100-99. Bill Laimbeer was notoriously hated by everyone, especially the refs. Ed Malloy, who is one of the refs that will work the NBA Finals this year, is notably at the top of the list for incorrect non-calls per game, averaging 2.5 INCs during the regular season. All of the information revealed Tuesday was previously conveyed by Donaghy to federal investigators last July. What actuallyhappened was this abomination of a foul call. This was due to the Bulls being without superstar Michael Jordan, and the team's fate now rested on the shoulders of Scottie Pippen. Web2003 NBA Western Conference Finals Mavericks vs. Spurs League Champion: San Antonio Spurs. The argument for the NBA being rigged is typically made after an NBA Draft Lottery, NBA draft, a trade, and the main argument games being fixed. The Celtics had 28 more opportunities to score free points. It claimed two of the three officials of Game 6 intentionally altered its outcome, which became a national frenzy respected Washington Post columnist and ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon wrote that I still consider [Game 6] the single worst-officiated game in the 28 years Ive been covering professional basketball. They were hungrier. I'd go on about this, but I'm fairly certain Bennett Salvatore would read this and call a foul on me for speaking out against the holy Wade. I think they know that certain players are expected to shoot a certain number of free throws, and I think they know, at least in the back of their mind, what is best for the league. Beech also looked for any and all evidence to support Donaghy's claim that two of the referees were "company men" who did the NBA's bidding. I called it the worst officiated game in NBA history. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. By the way, I'd be remiss if I didn't give some credit to Grantland's Bill Simmons, whose recent column on titles needing footnotes provided some valuable information for this piece (and saved me some big research time). You can look at one play over the course of a seven-game series and say, you know what, that might have been it. And he's going to be sentenced for that crime, regardless of these desperate attempts to implicate as many people as he can." All rights reserved. Ten years later, Ham sighed and paused for many seconds when trying to explain the effect Horrys shot had on the Kings franchise. Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals is the first example on this list of referees bailing out a star player. Maybe that particular ref just has a loose definition of the word "tie," but I think there was some bias against Laimbeer involved here. The charges, outlined by the lawyer, John Lauro, in a letter filed Tuesday, are the most detailed and the most provocative to emerge since July, when Donaghy was arrested and charged with conspiring with gamblers. It depends on the way the players are playing the game. It was hard to see that in how each referees calls broke down. Take that with a grain of salt though, because I also blame LeBron for our national debt, the cancellation of Arrested Development and world hunger. The Kings had 27 calls against them in the 4th quarter alone, some of As a team, the Celtics did 17 times. GOLDMAN: The Lakers went on to win the 2002 NBA title. The event for the NBA Finals was between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Golden State Warriors had not even won the Western Conference yet. If pressed I'd still rate it a Horry foul which would have given a basket and the and one shot to Webber and the Kings a possible four or five point lead. Still an offensive foul on Kobe there could have changed the outcome! The Bulls were once again champions, but they could have had to go back to Chicago for a Game 7 instead of a parade if an offensive foul was properly called. At first I was in agreement with Bill Walton that this was a "terrible call" but having watched the play over ten times in slow motion I changed it from 'dubious' to 'maybe' in my grading since it's one of those plays where I believe a case could be made for a defensive foul, an offensive foul, or even a dual fault let them play no call. Bernhardt made no foul call on Christie's block of Kobe with the game tied at 3:56, gave Bibby a bailout call with the shot clock winding down at 2:34 with the game tied, and didn't call Webber for a foul on Shaq's basket at 0:52 which could have fouled out C-Webb and given the Lakers a look at a four point lead. I'm willing to look at this as just a bad call, but an asterisk should always be next to this moment. San Antonio Spurs. However, the Kings secured the 3-2 series advantage in a nail-biting game-five win, 92-91. This means that the more successful the big market teams are, the better off the NBA is in terms of revenue. There is evidence of tampering within the game too,Ingame 6, the Lakers were awarded with shooting40 free throws in theentiregame, including 27 in the 4. quarter alone! Top NBA executives rigged playoff series to pack arenas and pump up TV ratings by ordering officials to shamelessly make calls that benefited favored teams, disgraced ex-ref Tim Donaghy charged in Yet there is a fair amount of left arm push off from Webber and Bernhardt was right on top of the play with a good angle. What probably happened was that the Lakers had an easier time getting inside because of the injury to Kendrick Perkins. The refs also made some bad calls against the Kings for almost the entirety of the game. If Green isnt suspended perhaps the Warriors go on to win Game 5 and the championship instead of blowing a three to one lead. And if the refs take these things too far? A missed three at the end of the game by a still bleeding Bibby to give the Lakers the win. And it depends on the refereeing crew. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. The Lakers were back-to-back defending champions at that point. The Knicks shot the same number of free throws as times they were called for charging. It's believed this week's allegations are a way to show Donaghy is being cooperative with investigators. Because they were assigned to cover Kobe and Shaq. NBA Finals 2000. 1 Dallas, and then an underwhelming Cavs team in the finals. This years playoffs added a dubious and crucial non-call benefitting the Miami Heat in their Eastern Conference matchup against the Boston Celtics to the conspiracy canon. The Los Angeles Lakers shot 40 free throws in that game - 27 in the fourth quarter - and beat Sacramento, 106-102, forcing a seventh game. If anything, it would have been in the league's best interests for the Lakers to win and even the series. That's the game convicted former referee Tim Donaghy has said was essentially rigged, by the NBA, to be a Laker victory. "The NBA benefited from this, because it prolonged the series, resulting in more tickets sold and more televised games." Or this. But the mother ship of NBA conspiracy theories remains Game 6 of the classic 2002 Western Conference Finals between the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the upstart Sacramento Kings. 93. Now Bernhardt did have the arguable turning point call of the game as it turns out at the 3:06 mark when Webber moved into the paint and made a basket only to have the shot wiped out with an offensive foul call. The game was tight the entire way and the Kings crowd stayed in a cowbell-ringing frenzy the entire way; going to overtime seemed both expected and fitting. I don't believe the Knicks had any real shot of winning this game, even under fair circumstances, but the refs didn't exactly help. They had an event for Game 7of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder, but they also had an event for Game 1of the NBA finals. At this point, [we were] focused on going to get at least one win [in Los Angeles] to get back home-court advantage, Pollard said. But part of being an NBA fan is questioning the refs, who make dozens of difficult, subjective calls that often change the course of a game. Conspiracy theories have always been prevalent in the playoffs of the four major sports leagues in the U.S. Or, my personal favorite, this. When he heard about Donaghy's allegations this week, Pollard was quoted as saying: I knew it. Ask any scorer, they'll tell you that when your shot isn't falling, you try to get to the line. They were the big-market team with the superstars. This is very interesting to me and I'd like to hear from any of you guys who watched the series. And people wonder how the Blazers blew that game. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. It was a classless, unprovoked move that ultimately resulted in the Spurs winning the series. If you search "NBA rigged" on YouTube, the first three videos are about this game. These are some of the worlds best athletes, after all, moving very quickly and sometimes violently. In Game 4 of the 2007 Western Conference semifinals, Robert Horry checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table in a game that was already decided. Wide open from 18-feet, Bibby drilled the shot and unleashed a roar. The Throwback. 9 9. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Mr. DEREK FISHER (Basketball Player, Los Angeles Lakers): And I remember we won the game, but I don't remember at any moment during the night, their helping us out here. Bibby and ONeal both performed masterfully. Even without Jordan, the Bulls seemed destined to make it back to the NBA finals. In 1985 all lottery teams had the same odds of getting the number one selection, and this system was put in place to stop the wide spread practice of tanking around the NBA. Chris Webber and Mike Bibby were Sacramento's star duo. The Bent Envelope at the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, 14. The game caused such immediate and public blowback that even consumer advocate and perennial Presidential candidate Ralph Nader got involved. This was where the Laker dynasty should have organically ended. The Lakers ended up winning in the final moments. The Magic two years later would be competing in the NBA Finals led by their young superstars in Shaq and Hardaway. Stern did not respond to specific allegations but said that the NBA had fully cooperated with the government since last summer. The Lakers crowd seemed nervous, and it felt like another buzzer beater was in order. No one else has been charged with a crime. Take it back to the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Sacramento Kings up 3-2 on the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending NBA Champions. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. The logistics of that would be impossible, and it would be too hard to hide. Donaghy has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced next month. Through it all, however, Beech finds it very tough to support the notion that the game was rigged. WebAnswer (1 of 8): No, not reallynot if you trust the reporters and analysts that have explored this issue and/or can read closely enough to verify their findings for yourself. Ex-NBA Referee Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges, Ex-NBA Ref's Scandal Rankles His Hometown, Commissioner Says NBA Deserves Benefit of Doubt, Stats of NBA Referee Combed for Clues to Gambling. It wasnt a luck shot. Game 3was the ultimate swing game, and after Game 3most people knew the Knicks were probably going to represent the east in the NBA finals. @ Los Angeles Lakers. Theres no question in my mind that we were the better team. Pollard was a reserve power forward and center for the Kings, a bleach blonde energizer known as much for his candor as for his rebounding. - That a referee's relationship with one team's general manager "led to an attempt by that referee to influence a game's outcome" in 2004. Or write about sports? With the Western Conference then dominant, that game seemed like the tallest hurdle remaining between the Kings and a championship. But still, it was only one game, which is why it loses the No. They were deeper. As it turns out, though, I wasn't too far off. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In a play between him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the five best players of all time, the tie is going to Kareem. I think that there is a blatant star system involved in the NBA. NPR's Tom Goldman reports. Mutumbo Congratulates Sixers On 1st Pick In 2016, 1. . . He went to the free-throw line 15 times. More often than not, a conspiracy will pop up and make you question a persons sanity, their grasp on reality With a slim 1.5% of winning the 1993 draft lottery the Magic won it, and selected Chris Webber first overall who they later traded away for Penny Hardaway. The Lakers attempted 18 more free throws in the quarter. As a whole, these plays suggest to me the refs were calling the game honestly, if perhaps not well. When one team shoots 28 more free throws than the other, you have to look into it. Then 88-84. In his book Personal Foul, Donaghy wrote that As soon as the referees for the game were chosen, the rest of us [other NBA refs] knew immediately there would be a Game 7. Asked to elaborate, Donaghy wrote me that Bavetta would always say he was the NBAs go to guy and he would always help make the series go another game he said [this] to me before the game in L.A.. In fact, he says the NBA did not contact him. The more I look at it, the more the evidence starts to pile up. The Suns had home-court advantage. Let's look at the 10 worst officiating moments in NBA history and what they mean in the grand scheme of things. Commissioner David Stern, speaking before Game 3 of the NBA finals at Staples Center on Tuesday, dismissed all of the allegations as "baseless.". Many believe that the Kings should've won the series. I don't think it's a 100 percent clear foul, and refs are generally supposed to let players decide games in the final moments without whistles. The controversy here is that many people believe Smith was fouled on at least one and as many as three times in that sequence. This was Phoenix's year. The Lakers eventually prevailed 106-102 to force a decisive Game 7. Having watched it live and seen the replays several times, I can say that it doesn't fade with time. We knew we were the better team. Sacramento, which had never won a playoff game before in the Lakers Staples Center, broke that streak in Game 3, winning 103-90. Never in the history not only of basketball, but of sports as a whole, have referees so blatantly and continuously attempted to hand a championship to a player and team. Meanwhile, the Kings cruised into the Western Conference semifinals to face a Dallas Mavericks squad it had dominated. Game 7 was incredibly lucrative, and an NBA Finals between two small-market teams like Sacramento and New Jersey would have been a fiscal disaster. Hornets general manager Dell Demps had a deal in place which involved: Paul to the Lakers; Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets; and Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, Luis Scola and a first-round draft pick (from Houston via New York) to the Hornets. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Yeah, Walkers shot shouldnt have counted, Pollard said. That free throw turned a tie into a one-point Knicks lead and victory. Easier time getting inside because of the NBA is rigged it had dominated, these suggest. 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